101 Things To Do Before You Die
by Dreamchylde
Summary: You asked for it! Ficlets about Jazz and Rachel's vacation after 'Thrown to the Front Lines'. Cute & fluffy tales as they drive cross country. It's so nice to spend quality time with the one you love, especially when no one is trying to kill you!
1. Visit The Roswell UFO Museum

**A/N**: A little back-story for those of you who are unfamiliar with my other stories about Jazz and Rachel. Rachel Milne (who was independently rated an 18 on the Mary-Sue litmus test) is a young, mousy engineer, whose work on a Nanotechnology project to make metal impervious to all damage for the US war machine, caught the notice of the Decepticons. She met Jazz who was sent to be her guardian; they fall in love, as all hell breaks loose. If you're interested in more, (I'm not going to give the entire plot away –evil grin-) check out **"Thrown to the Front Line"** for the full story.

The idea behind this story is loosely based on the book '1000 Things To See Before You Die' – I don't own it, don't sue me. This chapter is due to the 'Alien' ads that are being used to bring tourists to New Mexico (There was a story on Yahoo! last night about the ads depicting the state in a negative light). I live in the Land of Entrapment, and spent 5 years driving to and from Albuquerque and Portales for school, and I know from experience that you can travel for hours and see absolutely nothing. I also know about the dust storms that cut visibility to zero.

G1 universe for the most part, that happens in 2007. I've taken some liberties to update a handful of characters due to outdated alternate modes: Bluestreak is no longer a Datsun FairladyZ, but a blue Ferrari FXX. (I haven't seen an actual Datsun in years!) This also means that Jazz is in his black and white Porsche 935 Turbo alternate form, not the movieverse silver Pontiac Solstice.

**Synopsis:** Our hero and heroine finally get a well deserved and much needed vacation… unfortunately, three nosy mechs follow the couple under the premise of 'keeping them out of trouble'.

**101 Things To Do Before You Die** - Visit the Roswell UFO Museum

_// I've been drivin' all night, my hands wet on the wheel_

_There's a voice in my head that drives my heel_

_It's my baby callin', says 'I need you here'_

_And it's half past four and I'm shiftin' gears_

_The radio's playin' some forgotten song_

_Brenda Lee is comin' on strong_

_The road's got me hypnotized_

_And I'm speedin' into a new sunrise_

_When I get lonely, and I'm sure I've had enough_

_She sends her comfort, comin' in from above_

_We don't need no letter at all_

_We've got a thing that's called radar love_

_We've got a line in the sky… radar love. //_(1)

His windows were down and the stereo was on blare, as he dipped in and out of traffic on the open highway. We were laughing and singing along with every song that came over the radio and I never felt so free and at peace.

"Havin' fun yet, Rach?" I could hear Jazz's disarming smile in his singsong voice as he scanned the satellite radio stations for another song.

I leaned back in the drivers seat, giggling as ran my hands through my hair, which was in a tangled mess from the air rushing through the windows. "Absolutely the best time ever! Are you having fun listening to my awful singing?"

He laughed as he found a Bruce Springsteen song and turned it up. "Lovin' every minute of it!"

_// I love you for your pink Cadillac_

_Crushed velvet seats_

_Riding in the back, oozing down the street_

_Waving to the girls_

_Feeling out of sight_

_Spending all my money on a Saturday night_

_Honey, I just wonder what you do there in back of your pink Cadillac_

_Pink Cadillac //_ (2)

The song ended and I smirked evilly. "Think we can get Ratchet to paint you pink?"

"No. The Jazz-man does not do pink."

I laughed this time as he flipped through the radio stations. "I'm joking. I love you just the way you are… smooth and sexy."

He found an odd '80's tune that I hadn't heard in years and I thought I could see a pattern emerging in his choice of music.

_// Here in my car_

_I feel safest of all_

_I can lock all my doors_

_It's the only way to live_

_In cars //_ (3)

"Are you trying to tell me something, Jazz? I thought only 'Bee used the radio to communicate." I giggled and ran my fingers over his steering wheel idly.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I could hear the mischievous smirk in his voice as he scanned the radio again.

_// Baby doncha hear my heart_

_You got it drowning out the radio_

_I've been waitin' so long_

_For you to come along and have some fun_

_And I gotta let ya know_

_No you're never gonna regret it_

_So open up your eyes I got a big surprise_

_It'll feel all right_

_Well I wanna make your motor run_

_And now our bodies are oh so close and tight_

_It never felt so good, it never felt so right_

_And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife _

_Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife _

_Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night_

_I can see paradise by the dashboard light_

_Oh it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night_

_Paradise by the dashboard light //_ (4)

My jaw dropped in shock and I blushed three different shades of crimson. Jazz just laughed and changed the station. "Seein' y' blush is almost as good as seein' y' smile, Rachel."

I quickly picked up the dog-eared book on the passenger seat and started to thumb through it. Even after being in love with the saucy mech for a year, his flirting could send my heart into overdrive. "So… uhm, where shall we go exploring next?"

He was scanning the stations again, still grinning at getting me flustered. "Is there anything out here besides dirt, tumbleweeds and more dirt?"

"Hmmm." I flipped through a few pages letting my face cool down in the rush of wind from the open window. We had already seen the Golden Gate Bridge, the Las Vegas Strip, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and the Barringer Meteorite Crater. Skimming through the pages about the southwest, I found the mother lode of all places to visit. I grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "I found the perfect place."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

I snickered in glee. "Just make a right turn at Albuquerque."

----

"And I thought the area around the Ark was awful." Sunstreaker growled as another gust of wind deposited more dirt on his once glossy yellow armor.

"We'll find you a nice soapy car wash at the next town, Sunflower." The cheeky red warrior piped joyfully over the radio to his sullen twin.

There was a martyred sigh over the com. "What's so interesting out here anyways?"

"I'm not sure, I've looked over all the maps I could find on the internet about here and there is nothing that they could really get to from the road. There's White Sands Missile Range, but you can't drive to it because its on government land, unless Rachel has special clearance to get there, but I don't think she does. And then there is Carlsbad Canyons, but only humans can walk in, so there is no way for Jazz to get in, but there is nothing else here really. Maybe they're going to Mexico, but I don't know-"

The golden warrior who was losing his already thin patience interrupted the young gunner. "Okay, Blue. We get it. There is nothing out here. Got it." He sighed as the wind blew another torrent of dust and dirt, which was slowly being baked into his paint job by the 98° heat, over the highway again. "How long to the next town?"

Two hours later… 

"WHERE THE SLAG ARE THEY GOING? There isn't a frakking thing out here and those _towns_ you said were on the map? Four dead trees and an empty shell of a structure is not a fraggin' town!" The filthy yellow Lamborghini raged over the com, revving his engine in anger as the dry noonday heat beat down on the three travelers.

The blue Ferrari squeaked over their radio channel. "…Maybe they're trying to lose us?"

"This is a strange way to try and shake us." Sideswipe was also getting tired of the heat, wind and the desolate landscape.

Sunstreaker's anger was not appeased. "Did we go through some warp gate and end up on Charr?"

"Charr has a brown dwarf star, Sunny." Bluestreak's attempts to be helpful were falling on deaf audios as Sunstreaker groused to the barren landscape.

"Why are they out here? Better yet, why would anyone in their right mind live out here? What could be so important for Jazz and Rachel to drive through this…these… "

"Bowels of the Unmaker?" Sideswipe tried to finish his twin's statement for him.

The golden warrior spat every foul Cybertronian oath he knew plus a handful of the more colorful ones he had learned from the human internet. Bluestreak was stunned into a dead silence, while Sideswipe busted up laughing. The responses Sunstreaker got from his companions finally pushed him over the edge and he gunned his engine, pulling away from the red Lamborghini and the blue Ferrari and speeding towards the black and white Porsche.

"Sunny, we're supposed to keep a low profile." The red warrior had stopped laughing and was now speeding up to catch his furious twin. He knew Sunstreaker wouldn't do anything too rash, but just to be on the safe side he accelerated to catch him.

In mere seconds, the blue Ferrari was by his side on the empty one-lane highway. Bluestreak quickly opened a private channel to Sideswipe. "'Sides? Sunny isn't going to like hurt Rachel or Jazz, is he? Because we're really far away from Ratchet and if we call Prowl for help, he'll lecture us and we'll end up on some awful clean up duty because we left without permission, but he might not send us help at all, and then what would we do?"

"Calm down, Blue. Sunny won't do anything rash." The red warrior shrugged over the radio. "And if he does, then we'll stop him."

----

"Looks like one of our shadows is tryin' t' catch up t' us." Jazz smirked over his radio as he watched the yellow Lamborghini close the distance between them.

I looked into Jazz's rearview mirror as Sunstreaker tore up the sun-baked highway. Turning in the seat to get a better view, I could swear that I felt the anger thrumming through the air from his alternate form. "Should we pull over?"

"Probably. The other two sneaks are speedin' up as well." He turned the stereo down and pulled over to the dusty side of the road, his wheels sending up a dry plume of dirt.

I got out and stretched as I walked away from Jazz so he could have room to transform. We didn't have to worry about anyone else seeing him since there was no one for miles around. Jazz stood there grinning jauntily and I leaned against the warm metal of his armor. He wouldn't have felt this warm, but since it was a cloudless and hot day in the desert his body held some of the heat.

Sunstreaker's tires screeched on the sun-baked pavement; he was transforming before he had come to a complete stop and stalking over to us, glowering in fury. "What the slag are you two doing here?!"

I blinked in the bright sunlight in confusion. "We're on vacation."

The golden warrior's livid optics never left Jazz's cool azure visor. "I _know_ that. What I want to know is what is out here in the middle of frakking nowhere that you two have to go visit?!"

Jazz shrugged and smirked at Sunstreaker's rage. "Dunno."

If Sideswipe and Bluestreak hadn't pulled up at that moment, the hot desert air would have dropped at least sixty degrees from the golden twin's icy glare. "…What?"

Jazz kept smiling, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Rachel said she found the perfect place t' visit out here. So we're drivin' t' it… _on our vacation_." He emphasized the last sentence heavily. We had found out early on in our trip that we had unwanted company tracking us, and no matter what we tried to do to lose the three sports cars, they still tailed us.

The smoldering sunflower's gaze fell to me and I involuntary stepped away from him, wondering if Sunstreaker could be pushed far enough to squish me. My actions must have startled him, because all of the anger slipped away and his face softened. "So… what's out here?"

"Roswell." I looked at the others cautiously. "I thought Jazz would like to see the UFO museum…"

"UFO museum?"

I gave them a sheepish look. "Uh, yeah. Supposedly in 1947 an unidentified flying object crash-landed near Roswell. And well, there are all sorts of urban legends about little green men, and I thought since he's technically an 'alien' that he would like to see it…" My voice trailed off as all four mechs looked at me in silence.

Jazz was the first to start laughing, quickly followed by Sideswipe and Bluestreak. Sunstreaker just stared at me while the others laughed. He finally shook his head and sighed. "Do they have a car wash in this 'Roswell'?"

I smiled up at him. "I'm sure they do. And I bet the have one made specifically for aliens."

----

The last leg of the drive to Roswell went by quickly as all four mechs raced along the final stretch of desert highway into the city. While we drove down the main street of the city staring at the insane amount of statues and signs depicting the 'little green men' that the city is famous for, we were unaware of the number of people staring back at our little convoy. It wasn't everyday that you visited the UFO and official alien capitol of the world _and_ saw four high-performance sports cars driving slowly down the street.

The four mech were completely silent as Jazz pulled into the parking lot of a diner that had a 'crashed' flying saucer sticking out from its roof at an odd angle. I sat still for a few minutes enjoying their stunned reaction to what some people fervently believed were 'aliens'. "So… what do you think?"

"Are you slaggin' serious?" Sideswipe's voice finally breached the silence.

I nearly died laughing and it took about ten minutes before I could calm down enough to pick up the dog-eared book and read its synopsis about the city and its 'history'. They were still quiet as I slipped out of Jazz's drivers seat. I planted a kiss on his roof trying to stifle another giggle. "I'm going to get something to eat. I'll try to grab some of the tourist information and we can take it back to the Ark and show the others." I didn't get an answer, so I walked away leaving the four Autobots to sit in the parking lot surrounded by 'aliens'.

----

They sat in silence long after Rachel entered the diner, still trying to absorb the train-wreck of popular culture that had been seemingly vomited on the city. It was Bluestreak that spoke first. "The internet is full of stuff about 'little green men' and 'grays' and martians… It's really scary, guys. Humans report these things called 'flying saucers' and 'crop circles' and 'alien abductions' and they've even got a branch of science called 'ufology'."

"Do you think this crash thing was real? Because I've never seen any aliens that look even remotely like these." Sunstreaker had completely forgotten about his need for a car wash.

Jazz chuckled over the radio as he checked on Rachel in the diner. "Heh, y' never know. Universe is a big place."

"Hmmm, you think Rachel would buy some of this stuff for us?" There was a mischievous tone to the red terror's voice.

"Why?"

Sideswipe started to snicker as the gears for a good prank started to turn in his head. "I think Prowl looks like one of the gray aliens."

----

Songs used:

(1) Golden Earring - Radar Love

(2) Bruce Springsteen - Pink Cadillac

(3) Gary Newman - Cars

(4) Meat Loaf - Paradise by the Dashboard Light


	2. Attend a Concert

**A/N**: A little back-story for those of you who are unfamiliar with my other stories about Jazz and Rachel. Rachel Milne (who was independently rated an 18 on the Mary-Sue litmus test) is a young, mousy engineer, whose work on a Nanotechnology project to make metal impervious to all damage for the US war machine, caught the notice of the Decepticons. She met Jazz who was sent to be her guardian; they fall in love, and all hell breaks loose. If you're interested in more, (I'm not going to give the entire plot away –evil grin-) check out **"Thrown to the Front Line"** for the full story.

The idea behind this story is loosely based on the book '1000 Things To See Before You Die' – I don't own it, don't sue me.

G1 universe for the most part, that happens in 2007. I've taken some liberties to update a handful of characters due to outdated alternate modes: Bluestreak is no longer a Datsun FairladyZ, but a blue Ferrari FXX. (I haven't seen an actual Datsun in years!) This also means that Jazz is in his black and white Porsche 935 Turbo alternate form, not the movieverse silver Pontiac Solstice.

**Synopsis:** Our hero and heroine finally get a well deserved and much needed vacation… unfortunately, three nosy mechs follow the couple under the premise of 'keeping them out of trouble'. There is some foul language in this chapter, consider yourself warned.

**101 Things To Do Before You Die** – Attend a Concert

_Just one year of love_

_Is better than a lifetime alone_

_One sentimental moment in your arms_

_Is like a shooting star right through my heart_

_It's always a rainy day without you_

_I'm a prisoner of love inside of you_

_I'm falling apart all around you_

_My heart cries out to your heart_

_I'm lonely but you can save me_

_My hand reaches out for your hand_

_I'm cold but you light the fire in of me _

_My lips search for your lips_

_I'm hungry for your touch_

_And all I can do is surrender to your love_

_Just surrender to your love_

_Just one year of love _(1)

I giggled and stared into his side view mirror; my hand 'surfing' in the open air as we sped along the highway. "Is that a little reminder of what date is coming up?"

His melodic voice chuckled and betrayed his disarming smile. "I don't know what y're talkin' about, Rach."

"So you forgot?" I feigned being hurt and gave a playful sniffle.

"How could I forget the first time y' ran y're fingers across me?" His tone turned playful and it made me blush.

"So you do remember." I leaned my head on his door, shutting my eyes and enjoying the wind hitting my face. "Know what I remember about that day?"

"What?"

I smiled at the memory, as if it was yesterday. "You were humming along to the song on the radio, though I thought I was imagining at the time."

_How do you do it, make me feel like I do_

_How do you do it, it's better than I ever knew_

_Meet me in outer space, _

_I will hold you close_

_If you're afraid of heights_

_I need you to see this place,_

_It might be the only way_

_That I can show you how_

_It feels to be inside of you_(2)

"That's the song!" I giggled again realizing that what I had once considered a mere turn of fate would lead me to happiness. A strange thought bubbled to the surface of my memory and I couldn't help but ask. "So, just what did you do to my old Geo Metro?"

"Hmm? What do y' mean?"

I gave his steering wheel a lighthearted slap. "How did you manage to steal my old car?"

"Who said I stole it?"

I could hear the smirk in his voice and I just shook my head. "Just who did, then? Hmm? Wait! Don't tell me… it was Optimus! Right? No wait! It was…"

He laughed. "I'll never tell y'."

"Why not?

"Because then I'd have t' kill y'."

"Oh, please…" I rolled my eyes and he just giggled in the most adorable way.

"You two are disgusting, you know that?" The unwelcome golden voice complained over the com while his also unwelcome brother made childish puking noises.

"Then why are you two listening in?" I stuck my tongue out at the com just as childishly as the Twins were acting making Jazz chortle.

"Aww, I think its cute, guys. I think it's great that Jazz and Rachel have each other and are happy." Bluestreak chimed over the channel.

"You would." Sunstreaker complained.

"Don't listen t' them, Rach. Ol' Sunflower and Roses are jus' jealous." The mischievous smirk in Jazz's voice made me giggle.

"Hey! No one calls me 'sunflower'!"

"Wait, did you just call me 'roses'?"

The young blue gunner started to giggle at the indignant warriors, and there was a loud and annoyed sigh from the com. "Where are we going again?"

"I don't know about y', Sunshine, but WE are goin' t' a concert." Jazz reminded the grousing golden Lamborghini. For some odd reason the trio had deemed it necessary to follow us on our approved vacation, even though they had gone AWOL just to make sure that we 'stayed out of trouble'.

"Where is this concert, anyway?" Sunstreaker's annoyance had not settled down.

"Red Rocks Amphitheatre." I picked up the dog-eared book and flipped through the pages before finding the chapter on music experiences, reading the part aloud. "Most people will never get to experience the intensity of watching and listening to a concert of epic proportion, but any well-rounded individual must attend at least one concert from any of the big musical groups ever. Ideally, the best concert experience would have been Woodstock or any Grateful Dead concert; sadly, Jerry Garcia died on August 9, 1995. Here is a list of the recommended groups that would qualify for the big concert experience: Pink Floyd, The Eagles, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, Metallica."

"So which one did we get tickets for, Rach?"

"The Eagles. But…well, uh…I wasn't able to get actual tickets…" I laughed nervously as I set the book aside. "They were sold out months in advance, but I did locate an area that we can watch the concert from without too much notice." Jazz just laughed and I grinned sheepishly. "On the plus side, we can watch the concert together now."

----

The sun was setting and the lights from the open amphitheatre lit up the natural beauty of the deep red sandstone. The spot I had found for us to watch the show from was perfect; high enough that no one would really look up at and completely out of reach from any of the lights. The few scraggly trees that surrounded the hilltop were tall enough to hide a good-sized mech if he wanted to stand up without drawing any notice.

I had spread out a blanket that I had brought to sit on along with a small cooler filled with ice and my favorite sweet elixir of soda. Jazz sat to one side of me, close enough for me to lean against him, while Bluestreak sat on the other, eager to see his first concert. 'Sunflower and Roses' sat behind us playing against each other on one of their handheld gaming devices. Someone had brought a secret stash of high-grade energon, and all four mechs were drinking and relaxing.

"What kind of concerts do they have on Cybertron?" I looked up at Jazz curiously.

A snarky voice from behind us answered. "Boring ones."

I tried to ignore the spoilsports, shaking my head with a small grin.

"Well, last one I went t' was in Vos and it was in an amphitheatre kinda like this, but on a much larger scale." Jazz explained with his disarming smile as the band walked onto the stage below.

"Look!" Bluestreak pointed excitedly. "They're about to play!"

I giggled at the young Ferrari gunner as Don Henley waved to the cheering crowd. "What kind of concert was it, Jazz?"

"Nothin' like this. Cybertronian music is very different from Earth music and there isn't as much diversity as there is in Earth music." He leaned back placing his hands on the ground behind him, getting comfortable.

"So there aren't genres like rock music or rap or opera?" I watched him and smiled.

"Nope. And music from home has a different tonal scale than the music here does."

"Did you have a favorite group?"

He looked a little melancholy and I could detect some sadness from Bluestreak as well. "Nah, not really, jus' went t' whatever I could take time off t' go see."

I pulled a soda out of the small cooler and popped it open. "So no radio stations or music videos or must need cd's for your collection?"

"Nope."

The first song was starting and I looked back and forth between the two mechs. "Wow, so you two must have been overwhelmed about Earthlings and their obsessions with music, TV, dancing and art, huh?"

The young gunner's smile returned. "A little, but I like it."

"Y' know how I am about music and Earth culture, Rach. But for the really arty stuff, y'd need t' ask Sunny."

I looked up at Jazz and blinked before turning to look at Sunstreaker. "Why is that?"

Sideswipe smirked as he twisted the gaming device in his hands, obviously getting the edge over his twin in whatever game they were playing. "Because the Sulking Sunflower is a painter and had his artwork in a gallery."

My eyes went wide and I looked at a growling and unhappy mech. "Wow, really? Can you show me some of your work sometime, Sunny?"

"None of its here." He muttered as he fought the controller.

"Why don't you paint more?"

"No time." He grunted and that ended the conversation.

"Oooookay." I shrugged and looked up at the two friendly mechs sitting with me. "So what do you think of the concert?"

----

A handful of songs into the concert and I was on my second soda; the high-grade energon had finally improved the mood of the party-poopers, when the group started to play one of my favorite songs. The crowd below us was already screaming and dancing. I got to my feet and kicked my shoes off, grinning and having a great time. "I love this song!"

_Well, I'm running down the road_

_Tryin' to loosen my load_

_I've got seven women on my mind,_

_Four that wanna own me,_

_Two that wanna stone me,_

_One says she's a friend of mine._

_Take it easy, take it easy_

_Don't let the sound of your own wheels_

_Drive you crazy_

_Lighten up while you can_

_Don't even try to understand_

_Just find a place to make your stand_

_And take it easy _(3)

I danced, twirling around on my blanket with my arms above my head, while Jazz clapped and Bluestreak laughed with me. I spun around on my toes throwing my head back and singing along with the song, feeling carefree and happy. The song ended and I collapsed on Jazz's leg, smiling up at him and blowing him a joyful kiss. With his perfect disarming smile, he blew a kiss back to me. "Havin' fun?"

I picked up my soda and took a long drink. "I'm having a great time! How about you?"

"I'm havin' fun jus' watchin' y'."

"Someone is coming." Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stood up quickly, their games disappearing into subspace.

"How many?" Jazz and Bluestreak got up as well, stepping away from me and subspacing their energon drinks.

"Just two humans." All four started to transform into their alternate forms.

I winced and sighed. "Crud. And I thought we wouldn't be seen up here." I suddenly realized that I was going to have a hard time explaining how four sports cars were hanging out up on the hill with only me around. I quickly pulled the rest of my drinks out of the cooler and spread them across the blanket. Hearing their approaching footsteps, I put my shoes on and sat on Jazz's hood, focusing on the concert as if I didn't know they were walking towards us.

"Looks like someone already took the spot." I could hear one of the voices just before they entered the space. Male, and he sounded a little on the inebriated side.

"Whoa! Look at the cars, dude!" Another male, also sounding slightly drunk.

I turned around quickly, hopping off of Jazz's hood while trying to look surprised at their presence. Two men in their late twenties entered the scraggily hilltop perch, mesmerized by the red and yellow Italian sports cars directly in front of them; they hadn't noticed me yet.

"Holy shit! Two freaking Lamborghinis!" The guy had sandy blonde hair and was carrying an open car of beer as he gaped at Sideswipe. His friend with darker hair didn't have a drink with him, but still seemed tipsy.

My breath caught in my throat as the worst-case scenario popped into my head. Through clenched teeth I mumbled to Jazz, "This could turn ugly really quickly if they're drunk, Jazz. Tell everyone not to react if they get touched or worse."

"What about y', Rach?" His voice was low and was almost drowned out by the noise from the concert.

"I think I can handle them…"

"Dude! Is that the new FXX?!" The darker haired guy pointed to Bluestreak and started to walk towards him when his buddy put a hand on his chest grinning and pointing with his head in my direction.

"Hey. Whatsup?" Both were grinning now at me.

"Hello."

"These all yours?" The blonde motioned to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker by opening his arms; the contents in his can sloshed about and I cringed inwardly.

"The Porsche is mine; the others are my friends." I started a frantic mantra in my head._Don't touch Sunstreaker. Don't touch Sunstreaker_.

"Your friends?" Both looked around expectantly. "They just leave you out here?"

"They went to get drinks and someone has to stay and watch their rides."

The dark haired one gave me a lopsided grin. "Drinks as in beer?"

I shrugged nonchalantly and leaned on Jazz. "I guess."

The blonde guy turned to examine Sunstreaker closer, his beer tipping forwards as he leaned in while his buddy walked over to me, still grinning at me. "You guess?" He looked at the blanket with the soda cans. "You wanna party with us 'til they get back?"

I glanced from one to the other; the blonde was getting way too close. I faced the dark haired guy who was still walking towards me. "No, thanks."

"No? Why not?"

"Because I don't want to." I glared at him coldly before looking over at his friend who was inches from touching the golden Lamborghini. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

He got up and looked at me with the same inebriated grin his buddy was directing at me. "Oh yeah? Why not?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and drew my small five-foot-six body up, trying to look as imposing as I could. "Because the owner of that paint job doesn't like it touched."

"Heh, we'll just say you did it."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Yeah right. He knows I wouldn't touch it."

The blonde guy smirked just before he smacked Sunstreaker's rear panel and wiped a loud and obviously sweaty palm print across the glossy surface. The yellow Lamborghini rumbled, startling the guy and almost making him drop his beer. "What the f-"

I could only hope the beer didn't splash as I stifled a chuckle. "Good going. Set off the car alarm. Smooth."

The dark haired guy stopped a few feet away from me, still with that slightly drunk grin on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest loosely and leaned on Jazz. "So why don't you wanna party with us, babe?"

I glared at him again. "Get off of Ja-" I caught myself quickly. "Get off my car and don't call me 'babe'."

"Touchy." He rested his elbow on Jazz's roof and put his head on his hand. "We just wanna party, you don't have to be a bitch about it."

"Yes, I do, because you seem to have difficulty understanding 'no, go away'."

The guy got up and held his hands out, looking around the area. "I don't see any signs sayin' I can't be out here. So what are you goin' do about, little girl?"

The blonde obviously didn't quite grasp the concept of 'don't touch the Lamborghini' and was poking at the rumbling Sunstreaker. I sighed exasperatedly and shook my head. "You guys get a few beers in you and you think you can take on the world."

I could feel the anger emanating from Jazz as the guy stepped closer to me. "And you need a few drinks in you and probably something else to loosen you up, little girl."

I smirked wickedly at him. I had stared down Megatron and gave back talk to most of the Decepticons here on Earth; one drunken guy with obviously too much testosterone and a big ego wasn't going to scare me. I chuckled darkly and met his gaze. "Bring it."

He tried to grab my wrist, but I turned to the side quickly and stomped my heel down on his foot. The shock and pain from my attack made him take an awkward step backwards, giving me the opportunity to kick his right shin. He yelped from the kick and stumbled, planting a hand on Jazz to hold him up. "You bitch!"

I smirked and put my fists up. "What's wrong, big man? I thought you wanted to party."

He righted himself and laughed. "Heh, I see how you wanna play this." He started walking towards me and smirking. "You wanna put up a fight? I like a girl who tries to fight back."

I narrowed my eyes, but I didn't back down as he got closer. He stopped just a few feet away and looked me over, tsking. "Feisty, but you're still all alone up here."

_Oh, if you only knew_. I didn't move. I couldn't really try to attack him; he was much bigger than I was and he'd have the upper hand if I made the first move.

He let out a cold chuckle and then tried to lunge for me. I easily danced out of his way as he tripped over the little plastic cooler. He growled and tried to come at me again, but being smaller and more agile, not to mention being sober, I kept out of his grasp. He tried again, but when I tried to dodge away he stopped short and caught my right arm, dragging me back towards him. I tried to pull back, but he was stronger. As he pulled me close, I turned my back to him and sent my left elbow into his gut knocking the wind out of him. He coughed but didn't let go of me. I elbowed him again, but he still didn't let go.

I heard Jazz growl and the familiar shift of pistons and gears, but I yelled, "NO!" I had to get rid of this jerk myself. Two guys running to the nearest police officer babbling about 'giant robots' would draw notice to our presence, even if they weren't taken seriously.

"No?" He coughed as I jammed my elbow back into his solar plexus. "You really think anyone can hear you?"

I growled as I swung my left arm down suddenly, sending my wrist into his crotch. "I know they can."

He let go then and fell to one knee while I stumbled away from him. "Billy! Get the bitch!"

The blonde guy, who was morbidly fascinated with pestering Sunstreaker, turned around and started to jog towards me, only to be picked up by a large golden hand. "I don't think so… Billy."

Well-tuned gears and pistons smoothly turned as Billy squeaked and looked at the hand that had a hold of him, his gaze following up the golden arm and into the angry azure optics that glared at him. "What part about 'don't touch the paint job' did you not understand, human?"

"Maybe we should see how he likes to be poked?" Sideswipe leaned in grinning maliciously and poked Billy in the ribs with his side arm.

"Sideswipe!" I yelled at the red warrior. "Don't hurt him!"

The dark haired guy had turned upon hearing the voices behind him; his eyes going wide in absolute shock. "Holy shi-!" He yelped suddenly as a large black hand grabbed him roughly and yanked him into the air.

Jazz brought him up and glared at the guy, his azure visor flashing angrily. "When a lady says 'go away', y' say 'yes, ma'am' and y' leave. Got it?"

"Y-y-yes sir!"

Jazz dropped the guy in front of me. "Now, y' will apologize t' her and then y' and y're friend will scatter or else."

The dark haired guy looked up in horror at Jazz, completely stunned until Jazz brought his rifle out with the soft hiss of subspace. "I don't see y' apologizin'."

The guy turned to look at me as Bluestreak stepped up to my side, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at the guy. The guy got up to his feet quickly. "Sorry! Sorry, don't kill me! I didn't mean to hurt her or anything!"

"Get out of here." Sunstreaker dropped Billy to the ground, still glaring at him. Both humans stared at the mechs in complete shock. "Get out of here. Now!"

The two turned and ran down the path they had come from, yelling for help the entire way.

I cringed while the others put their weapons away. "Crud. Well, that was a disaster."

"Y' 'kay, Rachel?" Jazz looked at me carefully.

I nodded and went to pick up the cooler and the blanket. "I'm okay, but we better get out of here just in case someone believes them about sports cars turning into giant robots."

"Ugh. That little glitch's sweaty hands left marks all over me." Sunstreaker shuddered.

"I'll get you a car wash, Sunny. Let's just get out of here." I turned around quickly and was met by Jazz's arms as he quickly pulled me into a hug.

"You did good, Rach."

I sighed and hugged him back as well as a human could hug a twenty foot tall mech. "Not good enough that you guys had to show yourselves."

Sideswipe chuckled as he folded smoothly into his alternate form. "First thing we do when we get back to the Ark is to teach Rachel how to fight."

I managed a small laugh. "Is that before or after Prowl gets through with you?"

"He won't be that upset, especially when he sees all the gifts we're bring back for him."

I looked over the hill and saw that the concert was just ending. "I hope that counts as seeing a concert of 'epic proportion'."

Jazz transformed and I sat down in his drivers seat, still listening to Sunstreaker complain about the greasy handprints and Sideswipe giggling about scaring the humans. I snuggled down in his seat with a sigh and pulled out the dog-eared book.

"So what's next on the list, Rach?" He turned his radio on and opened the windows to let the cool night breeze waft in.

I flipped a few pages and chuckled tiredly. "Skydiving."

----

Songs used:

(1) Queen - One Year of Love

(2) Incubus - Stellar

(3) The Eagles - Take it Easy


	3. Jumping Out Of A Perfectly Good Airplane

**A/N**: A little back-story for those of you who are unfamiliar with my other stories about Jazz and Rachel. Rachel Milne (who was independently rated an 18 on the Mary-Sue litmus test) is a young, mousy engineer, whose work on a Nanotechnology project to make metal impervious to all damage for the US war machine, caught the notice of the Decepticons. She met Jazz who was sent to be her guardian; they fall in love, and all hell breaks loose. If you're interested in more, (I'm not going to give the entire plot away –evil grin-) check out **"Thrown to the Front Line"** for the full story.

The idea behind this story is loosely based on the book '1000 Things To See Before You Die' – I don't own it, don't sue me.

G1 universe for the most part, that happens in 2007. I've taken some liberties to update a handful of characters due to outdated alternate modes: Bluestreak is no longer a Datsun FairladyZ, but a blue Ferrari FXX. (I haven't seen an actual Datsun in years!) This also means that Jazz is in his black and white Porsche 935 Turbo alternate form, not the movieverse silver Pontiac Solstice.

**Synopsis:** Our hero and heroine finally get a well deserved and much needed vacation… unfortunately, three nosy mechs follow the couple under the premise of 'keeping them out of trouble'.

**101 Things To Do Before You Die** – Jumping Out Of A Perfectly Good Airplane

_Do it if you dare_

_Leaping from the sky_

_Hurling thru the air_

_Exhilarating high_

_See the earth below_

_Soon to make a crater_

_Blue sky, black death_

_I'm off to meet my maker_

_Energy of the gods, adrenalin surge_

_Won't stop 'til I hit the ground, I'm on my way for sure_

_Up here in the air, this will never hurt_

_I'm on my way to impact, taste the high-speed dirt_ (1)

I sat curled into a ball next to Jazz and leaning against Jetfire's fuselage. My legs were drawn up with my arms over my knees and my forehead planted on my arms. I mumbled frantically to myself in a fervent mantra, "I'm not going to be sick. I'm not going to be sick. I'm not going to be sick. People do this all the time. I'm not going to be sick."

"It's not that bad, Rachel. We do it all the time after playing Jet Judo." Sideswipe walked over and sat down next to me. "And if anything goes wrong we're right here with you."

I looked up at him warily. "That's easy for you to say. You've done this before and if anything goes wrong for you, you can always fall back on your jetpack."

He gave me a lopsided grin. "That means I can catch you if anything goes wrong."

I moaned and put my head back down on my arms, once again wondering if my current need to experience life to its fullest was such a great idea. "Longest recorded jump was fourteen minutes, which is double the time your jetpack can last." I sighed and looked up. "Terminal velocity for a human skydiver is 125 miles per hour… which would be 54 miles per second… surface area for a human is roughly 1.6 meters, so about 1.56 for me… considering my weight, I'd hit terminal velocity in…"

Sideswipe's optics widened. "Uh, so that means I can't catch you?"

I looked at the red warrior, sizing him up and rattling out an equation, determining his surface area. Jazz and Jetfire laughed.

"It's good to have another scientist around the Ark to balance out all of the trouble makers." I stopped babbling and gave a small smile at hearing the Veritech fighter kind words.

Jazz hugged me and tried to get my mind off of the physics involved with skydiving. "So what's been goin' on at the Ark while we've been away, Jetfire?"

The contemplative Veritech paused quietly for a moment, as if he was gathering his thoughts. "Well… there hasn't been much Decepticon activity, only a handful of raids here and there, but…" He stopped and went quiet for another moment. "But, we had a 'visit' you might say from Starscream."

Everyone's attention was on Jetfire. "He attacked the Ark?"

"No, no. The Seekers… came by to ask me some strange questions."

Jazz frowned. "What kind of questions?"

"Nothing serious, but strange nonetheless. Starscream wanted to know if I had seen certain types of harmonic radiation." Jetfire sounded perplexed and sad. "I didn't think he had that scientific curiosity still inside of him…"

"Harmonic radiation?" Now my interest was piqued. "Why?"

"He wouldn't say." Jetfire answered very quickly.

"What about Prowl?" Sunstreaker looked up into Jetfire's cockpit. "How much trouble are we in?"

The gentle scientist laughed. "He said that if I saw you three to tell you that you will be scrubbing the Ark top to bottom for the next year. But-" He stopped as Bluestreak gasped. "He did say that he hasn't been able to get this much work done in vorns."

"Eh, so it's the usual. Nothing to worry about, Blue." The golden Lamborghini smirked at the startled blue Ferrari.

"We're about to reach your purposed landing site, Rachel."

Ugh. My stomach lurched and I tried to stand up on weak legs. "Okay." I wobbled unsteadily until Jazz stood up and let me use him for balance. Jetfire slowly depressurized the cargo bay before he opened his door and the winds rushed inside. The others stood up as they watched me; I probably looked as green as I felt.

"I'll swing back by shortly." Jetfire yelled over the sound of the wind. "I've got a little project I'm working on, but I'll be close if you need anything."

"Thanks again, Jetfire." I called back to the Veritech. I almost congratulated myself over not throwing up inside of him, but I stopped that thought quickly. I still had to jump.

Sideswipe hunched down with a mischievous grin plastered over his face. "This is how to do it, Rachel. Don't think about falling, just think about grabbing onto the tail fins of a Seeker and forcing him into the nearest mountain!" And with that, the red warrior bolted out the cargo bay door, bellowing at the top of his vocalizer. "Last one down is a rotten Decepticon!" There was a 'fwoosh'ing sound and then he was gone.

I gulped and shut my eyes. I had to do this. I got Jetfire to interrupt his schedule to help me, I couldn't chicken out now. The mantra started again. I'm not going to be sick. I'm not going to be sick…

"Too bad there aren't Seekers around." Sunstreaker was stretching. "Blue needs to practice his Jet Judo." The golden warrior backed up to the door with a hand on both sides of the frame. "See you on the ground!" He waved then back-flipped out the door and into the swift wind current.

The young gunner looked out the door, smiling nervously. "They make it look so easy."

"That's because they don't think before they do anything, Blue." Jazz smirked at the Ferrari.

Bluestreak turned back and looked at me. "It is a little scary at first, Rachel. But once you're out there floating it's really nice."

I nodded as my stomach lurched. I knew if I said anything that I'd be sick. He waved and jumped out the door, but without any fancy trick to show off. And then it was just Jazz and I. He knelt down to my level with a serious look on his face. "Y' don't have t' do this if y' don't want t', Rach. No one will think any less of y' if y' decide not t' jump."

I hugged him as best as a human could hug a twenty five-foot mech before swallowing hard. "I think I can do it. I want to do it, because… because I don't want to die with only a boring life to show for it."

"Borin'?" He laughed. "Y' think life wit' us is borin'?"

"No. It's very exciting, especially with you, Jazz. I meant doing human activities that most people try to do. I've been stuck inside labs and universities too long. I need to live a little bit."

He gave me one of his most disarming smiles. "That's my girl." He stood up and walked over to the door; I followed close behind him. "Do y' want t' go first or do y' want me t' go?"

I shut my eyes and tried not to look down as the ground below shot by us as Jetfire banked to fly back over the area. I felt like hyperventilating as the air rushed through the door. "Jump with me."

I could hear the grin in his voice as I reached out fumbling for his hand. "Good idea."

I nodded and opened my eyes to look up at him. "Together."

"Ready, Rach? On the count of three. One."

I could feel his grip tighten on my hand. "Two."

I shut my eyes and gulped. "Three!"

I tried to scream, but my voice and breath were lost in the wind. I cringed as the air roared in my ears and pressed icy cold against my face. I could feel the pressure of the wind against my body, but it didn't feel like I was actually _falling_. I managed to open my eyes to look finally, and through the slight fog in my goggles, I could see a red, gold and bright blue parachute open and drifting below me. I turned my head slightly to look at Jazz; he was already grinning at me. My breath caught up to me and I laughed.

I looked around and gaped at the world from being so high up. It was… beautiful. I could almost see the curvature of the earth below. Houses looked like colored Monopoly pieces and the roads looked like gray strands of twisting yarn. I turned to look back at Jazz and laughed again. The rush of adrenalin, the roar of the wind, the cold air blasting my face…

It was exhilarating.

And then I realized we had a problem. A big problem.

In my fear of jumping out of the plane and asking Jazz to jump with me, I forgot something that I had been madly focusing on earlier: I would reach terminal velocity soon, but he would keep going. If he let go of me and I opened my chute going faster than the 210 mph mark, I could end up seriously hurt.

I could already start to feel the pull from air resistance equaling the force of gravity on my body, so I tried to let go of Jazz's hand. He looked at me in confusion and I pointed to my parachute and then myself. He didn't seem to understand, so I pointed again. But instead of letting me go, he pulled me close to his body and hung on to me. "I've got y'. Don't worry."

"I was reaching terminal velocity and you were still accelerating!" I yelled over the sound of the rushing air. "I was trying to tell you to let go!"

He looked at me with that smile that could melt ice. "What if I didn't want t' let y' go?"

Any trace of blush was taken away with the rushing air as he pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. We fell for a few more moments before he opened his parafoil canopy. The sound of the rushing wind stopped as we swooped down in lazy circles. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" He was smiling at me and his singsong voice filled my ears.

I looked up at him and smiled, snuggling closer in his grasp. "It was better with you here. I'm glad you didn't let go."

"Y' know I'll never let go of y', Rach."

I giggled softly. "I won't let go of you either, Jazz."

We could see the others below and I waved from the safety of Jazz's arms as we made the final swoops towards the ground. He landed rather lightly and much more gracefully than I had expected, even after his parafoil dropped to the ground.

The others ran over, concerned that something had happened since they didn't see my chute open. "Are you okay, Rachel?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked up at Jazz and grinned. "We decided to jump together."

Sideswipe pretended to gag and Sunstreaker rolled his optics; Bluestreak grinned at me, "So was it fun?"

Jazz started to set me down. "Yeah! It was exhilarating feeling the wind and I didn't feel like I was falling at all! I wouldn't mind doing it- urk."

The moment my feet touched the earth, I wobbled very unsteadily and that feeling of just getting off the roller coaster caught up to me. I swayed for a moment as my ears threatened to pop and my equilibrium tottered about.

"Rachel?"

I put my hand up to my mouth and turned, trying to stumble away from the others on my weak legs. I only made it a few steps before I coughed and vomited on the field where we landed.

There was some laughing behind me and I felt Jazz's hand on my back, patting me until I stopped coughing. I wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my jump suit and stood up on my still shaky legs. "Y' okay now, Rach?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I think I've had enough excitement to last for a long while." I looked up into Jazz's azure blue visor. "Can we go home now?"

----

Songs used:

(1) Megadeath – High Speed Dirt


	4. Vacation in a Tropic Paradise

A/N: I wasn't going to continue with this story line, but a few plot bunnies snuck through, including this one, which was brought about by an anniversary, and some deep thinking about what your life would be like without. Grrr. I'm getting irritated that I can't get things to stop double spacing on here -shakes fist-

**Synopsis:** Our hero and heroine finally get a well deserved and much needed vacation… unfortunately, three nosy mechs follow the couple under the premise of 'keeping them out of trouble'. Rachel ponders about 'paradise'.

**101 Things To Do Before You Die** – Vacation in a Tropical Paradise

Bamboo chimes sway slow

A lover's touch on green leaves

The waves call to me (1)

I dug my toes into warm sand that was as white as snow while blue green waves lapped at the shore. The slightest breeze ruffled the green foliage behind us and made my over-sized floppy hat flutter. This uninhabited tropical island that we had found was a veritable paradise on Earth. Perfect in every way.

Well, as perfect as it could be with two grouchy and highly irritating mechs complaining loudly about the salty air and sand in their servos.

"Quit moving around, 'Sides! You're flinging sand all over me."

"Quit moving yourself. You're kicking up sand just by complaining."

I sighed and slathered some more sunscreen on my legs. Maybe sand would get into their vocal processors and make them shut up.

Jazz was leaning against a large palm tree, hands behind his head and smiling, looking completely relaxed even with the Twin Terrors grousing just a few feet away.

I took my floppy sun hat off and ran my fingers through my hair before loosely braiding it. That water looked so cool and inviting, it was calling for me to dive right in. I stood up and took my serape off, folding it and dropping it next to my over-sized beach towel. Looking back over my shoulder at Jazz and a blue Ferrari that was mesmerized by the waves, I smiled. "Any chance either of you feel like going for a swim?"

That disarming smile that I will never get tired of seeing spread across Jazz's face. "Nah, I'll jus' watch y' from here."

"You don't know what you're missing." I grinned at him and he laughed giving a 'shooing' wave to me. "I'll take y're word for it."

I turned and took off running across the feather soft sand towards the water. It was wonderfully warm and as clear as glass as I ran through the surf. I dove head first into the closest wave, enjoying the water that washed over me. Rising to the surface, I shook the water out of my face and looked up into the bluest sky I had ever seen. If Eden ever existed on Earth, then this was it.

Treading water as I turned to look back at the shore, I could see that the Twins were still fighting over the sand, and in the shade of the trees I saw the reflection of the azure blue visor. Smiling, I waved to Jazz. He waved and I dove back under the crystal blue waters. There were colorful fish darting around in the water as if they were playing in the currents and a small manta ray flittered into a crevasse in the reef. A brilliant yellow coral, untouched by man, had numerous starfish and sea urchins laced through its willowy fronds. Beautiful and perfect.

I resurfaced for air and let the gentle waves carry me. As I floated along, I could feel the warm sun on my face and the calls of the seagulls over head. Peaceful and serene, as if the world was a million miles away.

And then I realized… it wasn't as peaceful as it seemed.

As a matter of fact, it was rather quite lonely.

I looked back at the beach; I could clearly see the red and gold armor of the Twins in the afternoon sun, and I thought I could see the faint dark blue glimmer of Bluestreak from where he sat in the shade, but I couldn't see Jazz. At all.

I _knew_ he was there. I knew he was just covered by the shadows of the palm trees he rested against. But not being able to see him scared me. It shouldn't have, because I _knew_ he was there; but the fact that I couldn't _see_ him made those horrible icy cold fingers of pain grip my stomach.

I swam closer to the shore until I finally caught sight of his visor glimmering with the reflection of the water. Now that I was reassured that he was there and within my sight I felt better. Yes, it was silly, but it still was a very real feeling of fear over not being able to see him.

And yet…

He was with me; close enough that I could call out to him. Close enough for me to see him. Close enough for me to run to him.

Yet, here I was enjoying this beautiful ocean, on this perfect day, in this absolute paradise… but he really couldn't share this experience. He wasn't close enough; he couldn't _be _close enough with me to share this. Mechs just weren't made for water.

I let the waves buoy my body and I looked up into a sky that didn't seem so clear and perfect anymore.

We have a unique situation, Jazz and I. I'm sure if anyone outside the Autobots and the few humans that knew about them looked at our relationship… they'd be revolted, even appalled by it. I mean, how could we possible be in love? We've led different lives, we come from different planets… we aren't even the same species. How could _we_ fall in _love_? I could almost hear the outcries of probably the majority of humans about us. How it was 'unnatural' and 'sinful'. Yet, we did fall in love and I was hopelessly head-over-heels starry-eyed in love with him. And I knew deep down I would never love anyone person as much as I love him. We were soul-mates, or spark-mates depending on how you looked at it. Being human or mech didn't matter.

Or did it?

I started to think about all the things we couldn't share. Little things that I, or any other human for that matter, would take for granted. Simple little things, like going out to dinner and a movie together, or walking hand in hand, or taking a vacation without chaperones…or a kiss.

Granted we've sat together in the Ark while I ate human food and he drank energon, but there were other people around, and it wasn't really sharing a meal together. And movies were watched in the lounge, also with other mechs. Going outside into the human world would require that he stay in his alternate form, and that wasn't really together. As for the walking hand in hand… I'm five-foot-six and he's twenty-five feet tall. My hand inside his was like a snowflake inside my hand. I could _touch_ him while we walked, but it wasn't the same.

And then there was a kiss.

A kiss.

I started to tread water and turned to look back to the shore at him. There had been only one kiss. Sure, I had kissed him on the cheek numerous times, and he kissed me on the top of my head…but the only kiss we shared together was right before he left the Ark to go fight the horde.

We had shared hugs and so many romantic words to make Shakespeare want to eat his quill, but sometimes…

Sometimes I just wanted to show how much I loved him without words. And I don't mean jumping into the sack together. I mean pulling him close to me, wrapping my arms around him and pressing my lips to his.

And I'm sure there are things that a mech would take for granted that I could never do for Jazz. I'm sure he would love to hold me in his arms without having to worry about crushing me. I bet he would love to be able to kiss me, too. But he would never say that out loud. Even as mischievous as he could be, he would never say anything to hurt or belittle me. And then there was the whole bonding issue, and that was totally impossible. I wanted to be so much for Jazz and I couldn't, and that hurt.

That really hurt.

There were other things that we could never do, like get married, start a family or even grow old together. I never had really given thought to marriage or kids; my work was my life, plain and simple, so that wasn't a big deal. But then we come to the growing old together piece, and that's the one that still bothers me.

A lot.

Yes, I know I had talked this over and over with Jazz and I even got advice about just enjoying life with him now from a certain red Lamborghini, but that didn't mean that I was 'okay' with it. I would grow old in front of him and he wouldn't change at all. And that scares me. Why? Because I overheard a conversation between Jazz and Ratchet back when I was sick from the nanite exposure about how Ratchet didn't want to deactivate him because of a broken spark. That scares me. It isn't about my death; I'm not scared of my death. I'm scared that I'd hurt this perfect being. It scares me that I'd cause him pain in any way.

And then I can't help but think back to the battle against Megatron and the horde. He nearly got himself killed in the battle because he thought I was dead. It hurt him that much that he was willing to throw the rest of his life away into a battle that he wished he would not survive. He had given up after Megatron shot him; he was prepared to die and join me in the Matrix. If I hadn't found him when I did… even the warm water around me can't stop me from shuddering.

Maybe Primus, or God, or whatever deity was looking down that day made sure that we found each other. I mean, the entire city was destroyed. We could have been anywhere, but we ended up just feet away. By some stroke of fate or heavenly intervention, we were able to find each other.

I am not a religious person and philosophy was always too vague for my tastes, but thinking back to that moment in the battle… that's when it really sinks in that everything else doesn't matter; we are together and in love for a reason. _We were always meant to be together_. No matter what the odds. Our love is universal and pure. What we share is perfect just the way it is. So what if there are some things in life that we can't do together or have no real control over. It doesn't really matter in the entire scheme of things. We are together on a different level; we would _always_ be together. Yes, some of those things would be nice to share, but do they really matter?

And as I look back to the beach with the love of my life sitting in the shade, I get the entire irony of the situation. No man is an island. Paradise isn't a place to share alone.

I dive under the waves and swim back to the beach. So what if Jazz can't come out here to swim with me. I can share the experience by telling him about it.

As I wade out of the surf, I shake my head ruefully; the Twins are still complaining about the sand. It will be difficult to tell Jazz about the fish and the coral with their bickering in the background…

I smirk as I'm pleasantly surprised to find the perfect white sand packs together easily. Now if only my aim was on par with Ratchet's…

The bickering stops completely as the first sand ball hits Sideswipe in the chest, a little lower than I had aimed for, while the second one catches Sunstreaker's arm. Two sets of shocked optics turn and stare at me as I brush the sand off of my hands and clear my throat. "This is supposed to be a peaceful and relaxing place, and if I have to listen to one more complaint from the vacation-crashers, I will personally help Ratchet turn you two into household appliances."

I smiled as the beach is now completely quiet except for the sound of the surf and the gulls, and walk over to Jazz, who is grinning madly and trying to keep from giggling. I pick up my beach towel and start to dry myself off. "Were you able to relax at all with Sunflower and Roses?"

"I didn't notice 'em."

I spread the towel out on the sand next to him and sat down. "How could you not notice them?"

He reached out and pulled me closer to him. "I was thinkin' about stuff."

I rested my head against him, looking out across the water as the sun started to set. "What about?"

There was the soft click as he turned his radio on.

_Maybe it's intuition_

_But some things you just don't question_

_Like in your eyes_

_I see my future in an instant_

_And there it goes_

_I think I've found my best friend_

_I know that it might sound more than a little crazy_

_But I believe_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

_A thousand angels dance around you_

_I am complete now that I've found you_

_There's just no rhyme or reason_

_Only this sense of completion_

_And in your eyes_

_I see the missing pieces_

_I'm searching for_

_I think I've found my way home_ (2)

I turned and looked up at him in wonder. He couldn't have known what I was thinking about…

Jazz just gave a soft chuckle. "It isn't paradise unless y're around, Rach."

----

Poem and Song used:

(1) Haiku by Dreamchylde circa 1998

(2) Savage Garden – I Knew I Loved You


	5. My Pictures of You

A/N: _'All good things must come to an end.' I'd continue this story, but Rachel and Jazz are needed back at the Ark for "Countdown". But I'm sure they'll get another vacation once they save the world again. Hopefully, minus two of the party crashers. –evil grin- A little background for two things in here. Back in "Thrown To the Front Lines", there is a scene where Rachel shakes out her wet hair in Jazz, that's why 'revenge is best served cold'. The other is about the sign. Between Clovis, New Mexico and Lubbock, Texas, there is an actual sign for an actual town that says 'Earth 25 miles'. If I get my scanner working, I'll put up a picture of us posing like Charlie's Angels next to it. _

_I hope you like the pictures!_

**Chapter 5** – My Pictures of You

The rain was coming down in sheets and the only sounds were of his engine purring and some forgotten love song on the radio. We had been silent for a while; it was a melancholy day. We were heading back to the Ark, back to our duties, back to our lives inside the titanium orange walls and bustling mechs worried about the war. I wasn't looking forward to going home: I wanted to spend more time with Jazz.

Our vacation wasn't long enough, at least in my eyes. It was the longest time we had ever spent alone together… or as alone as anyone could be with the three interlopers that decided to come with us.

I leaned against Jazz's door and stared out into the driving rain, watching it bead across the glass. Absently, I ran my fingers along his door panel, lightly caressing the dark leather, and remembering the first time I saw him. This week last year was when my life changed forever. When he appeared in my life and drew me out of my comfortable shell. Showing me a world that I would never have dreamed, of things that I never would have done on my own; of the love I would have missed completely. Yes, I was thrust into a war of intergalactic proportions all over something I had done to help people, but I also found the real meaning to my life.

"Somethin' on y're mind, Rach? Y've been awfully quiet."

I sighed and traced over his steering wheel with my fingers. "Thinking about last year." I smirked ruefully. "Worrying about when you'll be sent out on your next James Bond mission."

I could hear some sadness that he tried to hide in his disarming smile. "Since Jets said the only thing from the Decepticons was a visit from the Seekers, probably sooner than we'd like."

I shifted about, snuggling up inside his driver's side seat. "You know I don't like it when you disappear on those 'business trips'. I know it's your job, but I can't help but worry." I rested my head against the black leather seat and shut my eyes. "I wish… I wish we could have more time together without having to worry about the war."

"Me too, Rach. Me too."

----

I snapped awake with a start; I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep curled up inside of Jazz, lulled by the sound of his engine and the rain.

"Y' okay, Rach?" His calming melodic voice brushed the dream away swiftly.

"Yeah." I ran a hand through my hair. "Just had a bad dream."

"No havin' bad dreams while I'm around." He playfully teased me and I wiped the sleep out of my eyes. "Wanna talk about it?"

I tried to focus on it, but the more I thought about it the faster it slipped away. "I could see you, but I couldn't reach you."

He chuckled. "Well, I'm right here wit' y' and I'm not lettin' y' go."

"Good. I don't ever want to leave your side."

"Unfortunately, tho', we're a few minutes away from the Ark."

"Bleh. I don't wanna go home." I pouted. "How about we run away and never come back?"

There was that disarming smile in his voice again. "Sounds like a plan. When do we leave?"

I giggled mischievously. "How about…. right after we tell Optimus, Prowl and Ratchet that we quit."

I got a full hearted-laugh from him as we pulled up with the others right outside of the Ark. "Home sweet home."

"Bleh." I stuck my tongue out at the dark holographic rock that hid the entrance to the Autobot base as Sunstreaker and the others transformed and ran into the Ark. "Are you sure you don't want to just run away?"

"Y' know I'd love t', Rachel, but we're expected back and don't y' want t' see Prowl dish out punishment t' the Twins?"

"Eh, I guess so." I pulled my things into his front seat with me and then jumped out into the rain with a squeak. "Eeep! Cold!"

Jazz transformed and grinned down at me. "Y' think this is bad? Try drivin' in it for five hours."

We walked through the holograph and into the somewhat warmer Ark. I sighed as I stared at the familiar orange titanium hallway. "All good things must come to an end."

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "Y're the one good thing that I hope will never end."

I blushed as I smiled at him and a mischievous smirk crossed his lips. "Y' know what?"

"What?"

The smirk grew even bigger as I heard the twist of servos as they tensed up, and then Jazz shook himself fervently showering me with the cold water that had accumulated on his body.

I shrieked and he ran down the hallway chortling.

"Get back here, you rotten little glitch!" I dropped my bag and ran down the hallway after him.

"Nope! Revenge is best served cold!"

----

I walked into the med bay with my stack of pictures from our vacation only to find a very grumpy Ratchet and Wheeljack being as patient as he could be with the grumbling medic. I hopped up to the table to peek at what they were doing. "Whatcha working on?"

I got one grumpy and one pleasant response from my new bosses. "Welcome back."

"Welcome back, Rachel. How was your vacation?"

"Thanks. Could have been better if it was short three people, but it was good."

Wheeljack laughed. "Yeah, it's been extremely quiet without those two around."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in. I don't know how you guys have handled them for millennia, I could barely tolerate them for a month." I held up my stack of pictures. "Want to see what we did?"

Wheeljack put his tools down and picked up the stack, chuckling as he saw the first one: Four grinning mech, their arms over each other's shoulders while they stood in the dimly lit French Quarter of New Orleans; each with a few strands of beads around their necks…Except for Sideswipe, who was giving an open mouthed smile and a peace sign at the camera... he had three times as many beads as the others.

"New Orleans? How did 'Sides get all the beads?"

I laughed. "Well… While we drove down Bourbon Street, people kept throwing them at him, not to mention all the girls that tried to convince his holograph to give them a ride."

Now Ratchet was interested in the pictures and leaned over the engineer's shoulder, raising an optic ridge and pointing at it. "You went snowboarding?"

"Yep!" I stood on tiptoes to point at the picture. It was Bluestreak, Jazz and I racing down a pristine white slope. I was wearing a baby-blue snowsuit with a purple scarf trying to keep up with a giddy Bluestreak who was sporting bright red earmuffs and a laughing Jazz who was skating over the drifts with ease.

"Where did Blue get the earmuffs?"

I giggled and dropped back onto my feet. "He had them stashed in subspace."

Ratchet and Wheeljack looked at each other before busting up laughing.

The next picture was a stunning view of the Grand Canyon with Jazz, Bluestreak, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe standing at the rim and looking down at the dramatic space that opened up before them.

Ratchet smirked. "I'm surprised no one tried to push them over the edge."

"They were so impressed with canyon that we stood there quietly and just enjoyed the view." I smiled as I remembered just how long they stood there in amazement.

"Wow! Where is that?" Wheeljack had flipped to the next picture.

I peeked over the edge. "Oh! That's the fountains in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas!" I poked at the majestic jets of backlit water that left a brilliant lustrous glow to the Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghinis situated in front of it. "It's a fountain synchronized to music!"

"Fascinating!" The engineer looked closer at the picture, forcing Ratchet to grab the stack for the next one.

The medic was quiet for a moment as he looked at the picture, then the corners of his mouth started to curl up and then he started laughing. His laughter drew Wheeljack's attention as I tried to see which picture they were on. It was of the Hoover Dam, where all four mechs _had_ been standing a moment before the picture was snapped. Instead of a nice picture of all four of them against the backdrop of the deep blue water and the massive dam, there was one giggling mech, one surprised mech, one snarling mech and a giant splash.

I just shook my head. "Sunflower got tired of Roses giving him bunny ears in the pictures."

I don't think any mech had ever heard Ratchet guffaw that loudly, and they probably never would again. "Sunflower and Roses, huh?"

"Jazz dubbed them that while we were traveling to Roswell."

And Roswell at night was the next picture. There was a giant sign sitting in the New Mexico desert proclaiming that the city was the UFO capital of the world. Bluestreak was sitting under it, grinning wildly. Jazz was leaning causally on the right side of the sign, his disarming grin spread across his face and his right hand pointed like a gun at the sign. Sunstreaker had his crossed arms over the top of the sign, smirking, and Sideswipe was leaning over the left side of the sign pointing at it with a huge grin and shaking a large plush gray alien.

"What _is_ that?" Ratchet pointed at the 'alien' in Sideswipe's hand.

"That's a 'gray'. It's what some humans think aliens look like." I shrugged.

Ratchet had an optic ridge raised. "I've never seen any alien that looks even remotely like that."

I giggled and they flipped to the next picture. "Oh! That's one of my favorites! We saw that as we were driving through Texas."

It was a beautiful starry night with a full moon in the background and a green and white road sign that the mechs were positioned around with weapons drawn in a somewhat Charlie's Angels-esque pose. The sign said: EARTH 25 MILES.

The next picture was of the Golden Gate Bridge at night with Jazz and Bluestreak looking highly irritated as the Twins stood there arguing and pointing back at the bridge.

"What are they fighting about this time?"

I ran a hand through my hair with a sigh. "'Why do they call it the 'Golden' Gate Bridge when it's painted 'red'?' Which quickly escalated into an argument."

Ratchet snorted. "No wonder Jazz and Blue look frustrated."

"You have no idea." I just shook my head with another sigh.

I couldn't see what the next picture was and I was slightly confused as to what it could be. I could have sworn that was the end of what I had taken. Wheeljack and Ratchet looked at the picture for a moment and then I got two sets of blue optics looking as me strangely.

I blinked. "What?" I struggled to look at the picture. "Which one is that?"

They turned it around for me to see and I frowned. "… I'm going to kill whoever took that picture."

It was a wide grassy plain and my back was to the camera, but it was obvious as to what was happening. It didn't matter that I was dressed in a jump suit and had an unopened parachute on my back. It didn't matter at all that Jazz was patting me on the back as I threw up. I sighed in defeat. "We went skydiving and _obviously_ it didn't agree with my stomach."

They flipped to the next picture that I didn't know was in the stack, and was now causing me some worry. I tried to get a better look while on my tiptoes and gasped. The mystery photographer had taken a picture of me in my red one-piece bathing suit screaming and throwing balls of wet sand at two very shocked Lamborghinis.

Ratchet plucked it from the stack with an evil grin. "Good aim, Rachel." He chuckled. "Wet sand. Sounds like a good threat to use on them."

I giggled as they handed the stack of pictures back to me. "I'll make you a copy of that one to put on your desk."

----

Jazz was sitting at the Communications monitor, his feet up on the console and twirling an empty energon cup on one finger when Bluestreak came in. The black and white Porsche turned and smiled at the blue Ferrari, glad that he might have someone to keep him company for a few minutes. "Here t' save me from death by boredom, Blue?"

The young gunner giggled and held out a stack of pictures to him. "I thought you might like these."

Jazz took the stack and looked at the first picture. It was of Rachel dancing barefoot at Red Rocks. He looked up at Bluestreak with a grin. "Y' took these?"

"Yeah… I thought since she was taking pictures of just us that someone should take some pictures of her and you."

Jazz flipped to the next picture; it was of Rachel hanging on to his leg right before they jumped out of Jetfire.

The following picture was of Rachel trying to show everyone how to make a snow angel.

The next was her leaning on his hood and pointing out landmarks on the Las Vegas Strip as they watched the fountains at the Bellagio.

The following was of her showing him how to listen to seashells.

The next was of her clinging to Jazz in laughter as Sideswipe showed off his collection of beads.

The following was just a close up of her smiling while she danced, her arms and hair fanning out about her.

Jazz set the stack down on the console as he got to the last picture, a huge smile spreading across his face. "Thanks, Blue. These are awesome."

Bluestreak grinned. "I knew you'd like them."

"Yeah, I really do…" Jazz looked at the last picture again. It was of him and Rachel on the beach, his arm wrapped around her as they watched the sun set over the glimmering ocean.


End file.
